Just Say It
by Miran Anders
Summary: Just a little one-shot that wanted writing.  Shawn is having a hard time telling Juliet...


_just a little one-shot that wanted to be written... I hope you enjoy._

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><p>oOo<p>

_**Psych: Just Say It**_

oOo

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><p>Juliet stopped typing and sat back in her chair with a sigh. Standing to stretch, she wandered to the window, a smile suddenly wiping the boredom from her youthful features.<p>

_He_ was trotting up to the building, looking preoccupied. She watched from the window as he headed up the stairs. Somehow, she seemed to know when he was coming, and it always gave her a warm feeling to see his handsome face when he didn't know she was watching. Whether it was the thoughtful frown he wore when he was working on a case, or the bright, cheerful smile when they had just solved one. _Or even the tousled, five-year old boy look he sported when he had just fallen asleep..._ she sighed fondly.

Today, however, she could see his expression was different.

_As it had been last night at dinner, and this morning at breakfast. _

Today he looked concerned, pensive… almost guilty. She took a deep breath and smiled at him tenderly. _I wish he would just come out with it. _

With a shake of her head, she went back to her desk and continued filling in the paperwork on her computer. _ Let's see… he should be here, right about –_

"Hey, Jules."

_Now._ She turned with a pleased look of surprise on her face, if not in her mind, and stood to greet him. "Why, Shawn. I didn't expect to see you," she glanced quickly around and gave him a quick kiss before she added in a whisper, "Until later, anyway." Her smile was warm, and his eyebrows lifted in shock. She rarely kissed him in the squad room, since they were doing their best to keep their private lives private. It almost made things even _more_ difficult.

"Ah – How's work going?"

"It's hard to call paperwork 'work'."

"…So what _do_ you call it?"

"Boring." She favored him with a stunning smile, sat at her desk again, typing as she waited for him to decide what to say.

"Are you… um… I mean…" He stopped, regrouped. "Do you have time for lunch?"

He watched as she turned to look at him, her blue eyes sapphire-bright. "I'm starving. I would _kill_ for a fish taco right now."

Unable to hold back a grin, he gestured grandly with a bow. "Then, m'lady, your chariot awaits."

Genuinely surprised for a moment, she blinked. "Oh? You have Gus's car?"

He shook his head with a small frown. "No, I actually meant _your_ chariot." Her laugh bubbled out as she stared at him, and he grinned in spite of himself as she led the way outside.

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><p>oOo<p>

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><p>They made their way from the fish taco stand to the little park by the water, climbing over the rocks until they reached the little nook they had found some weeks earlier. They were unpacking their food, trading straws for napkins, when he spoke with poorly veiled tension. "So… you know what today is?"<p>

Juliet grinned, then frowned off at the ocean, pursed her lips. "Well, let's see… It's Friday, that's always nice… It's not a full moon… It's…" She looked back at him to see the almost shocked look of disappointment on his face. "Unless you're asking if I know it's been exactly two months since we started dating. There's always that." She took an unladylike bite of taco and chewed innocently at him as he shook his head.

He stared, holding back a grin. "Yeah, yeah, that's what I was thinking of." Since they had become a couple, Jules sense of humor, especially when they were alone, had surprised him more than once. She almost always seemed to be one step ahead of him… _but then, maybe most women were one step ahead of their men._ He spoke again before he had a chance to think too hard. "And there's something I want to tell you."

_Ah. Here it comes._ Juliet dusted off her hands, and took a long sip of her drink. Reaching up, she pulled the clip from her hair and shook it out casually in the California sun, creating a golden waterfall. Blue eyes met hazel with obvious openness, and she smiled gently at him. "I'm listening."

Shawn took a deep breath. Everything was riding on this. This could change… well, everything. He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. Her expression slowly became more serious, waiting for him to speak. "Jules – Juliet."

"Yes?"

He looked absolutely helpless, until abruptly, he blurted out, "Jules, I'm not a psychic." His eyes searched her face for only a moment before his gaze dropped to the sand, his breathing shallow, and slightly frantic.

She let out a breath she didn't quite realize she'd been holding. _Finally_. "Yes, Shawn. I know." He didn't seem to hear her.

"I'm a fake, a fraud, a complete charlatan," he said, his voice getting louder. For a few moments she watched him as he ranted, fascinated at how much his confession was affecting him. The tight expression that he had been wearing for the last two days was back in spades, the natural joy in his eyes that she loved so much completely gone. "It's all been a lie. You probably hate me. I'll understand if you hate me – if you never want -" His eyes looked up suddenly and his head tilted, quizzical as a puppy. "-_what did you say?_"

The sunlight was making her hair sparkle like spun gold, and her eyes were bright. "I said, 'I know', Shawn." Moving closer to him, she reached out and cupped his cheek in her palm, lifting his chin. For a moment she simply looked into his confused eyes, before a smile lit her from within, and leaning forward, she took his lips with hers. When she backed away a few inches, she said quietly, "Thank you for trusting me enough to say it."

"You're… welcome?" He couldn't have been more confused. "But –"

She kissed him again, just to shut him up. "You heard me."

"But… how? How long have you known?"

"Well, let's see…" The detective grinned. "How long have I known you?"

Shawn's shoulders dropped. "Oh, come on. You must have thought – I mean, you must have believed –" he floundered, his hands lifted. "You never –"

"Don't get me wrong, Shawn." She straightened her back and looked out to sea, thoughtfully. "I knew there was something special about you from the beginning. I had a hard time believing you were psychic, but an even harder time trying to convince myself that you weren't." Her eyes reflected the sky and water as she smiled at him. "The difference between you and me is that the longer I've known you, the longer I've watched you work… the more I think you _are_ psychic. There are details you notice, things you put together, hunches that you follow, that don't make any rational sense. But I also know by now that _you_ don't really believe you're psychic… Gus probably calls it 'hyper-observant'. Your dad? Hmm… probably calls it _good training and a lot of dumb luck_." she said, imitating Henry Spencer's voice with a grin.

The detective took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm not sure what _you_ want to call it, but if you're okay with me going on saying that you're _psychic_, and _gifted_… it's fine with me." She leaned back against the rocks and picked up her food again, allowing an amused bit of annoyance to seep into her voice. "I'm just glad you _finally_ told me."

Shawn stared incredulously at her, then got up on his knees, grabbed the taco out of her hand and threw it behind him, where it was fielded by several seagulls. "Detective O'Hara. You are the most amazing -" He scooped her away from the rock and laid her down in the sand as she giggled, and he kissed her thoroughly. It was a long while before he spoke again, and he was quieter then, more vulnerable. "I don't know what to say, Jules. I've been _so_ worried about this…"

"I know."

He rolled his eyes, and kissed her again. After an even longer time, he lifted his head to look at her. "I love you." Her eyes brightened with an impish grin, and he lifted a finger to stop her before she spoke. "And I swear, if you go all Han Solo on me right now with one more 'I know' –"

Juliet's laugh rang musically at that and she grabbed his hand, twining her fingers between his. Her voice, when she spoke, was soft and small. "I love you too, Shawn."

The seagulls got the rest of their lunch, and she had a hard time explaining to Chief Vick why when she leaned over her desk to read something, sand fell out of her hair… but it was still the best Friday ever.

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><p>oOo<p>

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><p><em>please feed the author…<em>


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